When the topic of improving workplace productivity comes up, many suggestions involve long-term solutions. While these ideas may be worthwhile, they can often require changing the entire infrastructure of your business or making other large-scale changes. In addition to those recommendations, there are many smaller changes that you can make to help your employees function more efficiently and help you see faster results.
Communicate More Efficiently
Keeping the lines of communication open is essential to productivity, but sending an email isn’t always the best option. It takes several minutes to respond to an email and that’s assuming the employee sees the message as soon as it arrives. Many employers and team leaders find it more efficient to use an instant messaging app for business communications. Many apps are engineered specifically for workplace use, so file sharing capabilities are usually included.
Keep Everyone on the Same Page
Keeping your employees in the loop about changes that can affect productivity is easier when everyone goes to a single source. By making use of a project management template for organization, you can ensure everyone will be aware of your goals for the day, week, and month. As you update that template with new information, your entire staff will have access to those changes. This application will make it easy for employees to identify which tasks take priority on a given day, allowing them to make their own personal goals.
Take a Step Back
Ask yourself if you have a habit of micromanaging your employees. If the answer is yes, then you may improve productivity by simply making yourself a little scarcer. When you provide more autonomy in the workplace, your employers will own their tasks. This will encourage them to meet your expectations by finding more efficient ways of performing their duties. While you still want to be around to provide guidance, giving your employees a little more freedom can have a positive effect on performance.
Offer Employee Incentives
You can show appreciation for meeting productivity goals without making overwhelming changes. In fact, simple gestures are often enough to boost morale and improve productivity. For instance, you can offer one day of paid time off as a reward for excellent attendance. When your staff works together to meet your expectations for the quarter, try rewarding them with a catered lunch. Offering small incentives will encourage healthy competition and can boost overall morale. Sometimes, a handwritten thank you is enough to brighten an employee’s day, which will also boost their energy levels.
Encourage Feedback from Your Employees
In general, creating a positive work environment will help to boost productivity among all of your employees. The best way to accomplish this objective is to encourage feedback from your employees. For instance, asking your staff for their ideas for increasing productivity will help them feel more involved in the success of the company. They may even come up with some useful ideas that will help you meet your productivity goals. Encouraging participation will also help you identify employees who may possess the traits essential for leadership positions. The insights that your employees share will help you recognize individuals with strong managerial skills and promote the right employees to help you continue to boost productivity within your company.
Improving productivity shouldn’t be viewed as a one-time fix. Rather, you can tweak the processes in your workplace over time to continuously increase the level of productivity you get from each employee. If you find ways to involve your employees in this process, they will feel more invested in company performance and that, in itself, can also increase productivity.
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